cover image Lunch with Aunt Augusta

Lunch with Aunt Augusta

Emma Chichester Clark. Dial Books, $14 (320pp) ISBN 978-0-8037-1104-4

What advice do ring-tailed lemurs get before a luncheon visit with a revered aunt? ``Don't eat too much, be sure to sit with your tails straight at the table, and. . . make sure you are home before it gets dark.'' Though her two older brothers acquit themselves admirably, little Jemima eats too much, curls her tail and gets lost on the way home. With its unique and captivating cast, Clark's ( The Queen's Goat ) jungle contains abundant humor, a bit of fright and a happy ending. Jemima's rescue by 11 fruit bats is a particularly triumphant moment, while the ukelele-strumming Augusta, resplendent in purple picture hat and matching beads, is a daffy dowager to be reckoned with. Teeming with vivid jungle flora, the playful artwork calls to mind a cartoony Rousseau. This larky lunch is a fun-filled repast indeed. Ages 4-8. (Mar . )